How to Live a Holy Life amidst Unholy People
New Testament Survey • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 3 viewsGod has called us to make a choice to live Holy. We can do so by the Holy Spirit's power and obedience to the truth.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Have you ever tried to stand up when others all around you are trying to persuade you to do what you know is wrong? It can be very hard. You want to fit in, but if you are going to fit in you have to be do and say what others are saying and doing. To be accepted in your peer group you have to watch the latest movies etc.
How is a Christian to respond?
1 Peter 1:13–16 (KJV 1900) — 13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
D. God has a holy calling on every Christian. Every child of God is to live a life of holiness.
P. You and I ought to be living lives that are holy even in the midst of people who will try to convince us to do wrong. Or, even when your natural inclinations is not to cause any controversy.
T. We are going to look primarily at vs. 15 tonight.
Pray
Pray
1. God’s call to holiness includes you.
1. God’s call to holiness includes you.
Every Christian.
Every Christian.
As he which hath called you is holy,
Holiness in the OT is closely related to being set apart.
Holiness is to be consecrated for a particular use.
You were purchased by God - 1 Corinthians 6:19 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
2. God’s Call to holiness is all encompassing.
2. God’s Call to holiness is all encompassing.
Extant of influence
Extant of influence
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
Be - the a passive verb in a tense that does not mean to keep repeating, but something that is done. Holiness is to characterized the believer’s life from when he is saved.
You are rescued from being hit by a car on I-75. Hopefully you are not going to go right back out in the road. So we too have been saved from sin which brings death and ought not to go out on the highway of sin.
Our inward thoughts should be holy.
Our inward thoughts should be holy.
Before we were living for our selfish desires.
Presently we are to model Christ’s attitude.
John 5:30 “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
Luke 22:42 “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
How has your thinking been changed since your trusted Christ. Remember Peter warns that is is something with which we must be sober minded about. It is so very easy to start living unholy.
Brother Treadway was preaching at Trinity Baptist this week on the Neglected List from Col. 3:12-13
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
He noted the fact that if we do not consciously choose to walk in the Spirit. We will by default live in our flesh.
Me: Anger and frustration when things don’t go my way? Why? I was living in the flesh.
Our old man tends to think in rewarding ourselves and indulging whenever possible.
Are you pleading with God, not my will, but thine. It is a conscious choice that you must make. I will obey God in my thinking.
Or, are you living for yourself. You haven’t been mindful of what God wants. The Bible calls that conforming to the former lusts.
How have your thinking patterns changed since you’ve been born again by the Word of God? 1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
Here are helpful scriptures which may help aid you in this process:
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Our outward actions should be holy.
Our outward actions should be holy.
What is going on inside is sure to come out. That is great news for the Spirit filled Christian. You know what is going to come out of him? The unified and multifaceted singular fruit of the Holy Spirit: Love, joy, peace, longsuffering gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
3. God’s Call to holiness is a call to which you must choose to obey.
3. God’s Call to holiness is a call to which you must choose to obey.
By Purpose, not accident.
By Purpose, not accident.
Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
When you get up choose to serve Christ.
By walking in the truth.
By walking in the truth.
3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
When you go on a walk you decide where you want to go. When you walk in truth you have the freedom to choose to obey God cheerfully.
Those who refuse to walk in truth live in bondage to their sin.
By yielding to the Holy Spirit.
By yielding to the Holy Spirit.
1 Peter 1:22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”
Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
To walk in the Spirit means you must yield to doing what the Holy Spirit wants instead of what your flesh wants.
Application: When your flesh wants you to conform, when the world wants you to conform say no. Instead say yes to the Holy Spirit of God.
Conclusion: Are you willing to answer God’s call to be holy on your life? How are you going to improve from today?
Conclusion: Are you willing to answer God’s call to be holy on your life? How are you going to improve from today?
